Ruling-pen.



l'.. E. PADDACK.

RULING PENJ APPLICATION FILED APR. 19. 1915.

Patented May 2, 1916.

THE CDLUMBIA PLWOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, u..c

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed April 19, 1915. Serial N 0. 22,431.

making mechanical drawings, and more particularly to pens which are employed for ruling a line or a double line; and the object of the invention is-to produce a ruling pen having a caster connection with its support whereby as the latter is moved by hand the pen point or points trail as in the making ofroads on maps.

The invention comprises a special pen support, a means for mounting the'pen in the support so that its points are held normally off the paper but may be thrown into operative position at will, a peculiar form of caster connection between the pen and its support, and certain other details as will appear in the following specification and claims and as are shown in the accompanying drawings wherein I i Figure 1 is a side elevation of this device complete with the pen points 013? the paper. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation with the knob broken away, showing the tip of the forefinger in dotted lines as in position to depress the pen-lifter. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of the connection between the pen stafi and pen shank. Fig, 4: is a diaphragm showing how the edge of the base of the support may be moved along a draftsmans curve. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a front view of the twin pen. Broadly speaking this invention comprises a drafting pen of peculiar construction, and a pen carrier especially adapted for carrying this pen with its points ofl the paper.

The pen shown in the accompanying drawings is of the twin type, having a split shank 1 whose arms are normally divergent but may be adjusted toward each other by the usual screw and nut 2, and each arm of the shank in turn carries at its lower ends the nibs 3 of the ordinary drafting pen, these being small arms which may be drawn together by means of the smaller screw and nut 4. The tips of the pen points or nibs should all stand in one line so that the twin pens will simultaneously mark the paper, and the distance between the two lines which they make will be regulated'by the nut 2. The numeral 10 designates the staff of this pen, and between the stafi and the shank is an offset or elbow so that the entire pen trails after the staif. In other words, the latter is not carried down to its nibs as in the case of an ordinary ruling pen, nor is the staff merely a bent handle for the pen: there is a distinct elbow between the handle or staff 10 and the shank 1 of the pen or pens, leaving the staff and shank standing in parallel lines but distinctly out of alinement. The result is that when the staff is grasped by hand and moved along over the paper, the pen follows the staff by reason of the elbow, and it is quite possible to hold the staff in such manner between the thumb and finger that it may revolve or oscillate slightly so that the entire pen will trail afterthe staff, 2'. e., have a limited caster action. The elbow in the present case is shown as a metallic block 11 in which the lower end of the staff 10 is fixed as at 12, and at its remote end the block is provided with an upright threaded hole 13 into which the threaded upper end 14 of the shank 1 is removably inserted. This is one of many means which might be employed to connect the pen shank removably with its staff. The length and size of the latter will be dependent upon whether it is to be used by hand or to be mounted in a mechanical support as described below, but in any case I would have the staff round so that it could turn in its support.

The pen support which I use in connection with this kind of a ruling employs a base 20 which consistsof a fiat metal plate about one and a half by two inches in dimensions, and provided with a hand-hold such as a knob 21, a standard 22 rising from one end of the plate, and a head projecting horizontally from said standard and carrying the entire pen so that the latter stands parallel with the standard and at such distance therefrom that it may trail as above described. As one form of the head which is light and easily cleaned, I provide two arms 23 and 24 projecting from the standard and pierced near their outer ends with upright holes 25 in which thestaff 10 is rotatably and slidably mounted. On the standard are blocks or lugs 26 having uppen preferably right holes or eyes through which is mounted a slide rod 27, bent above the uppermost lug and carried outward through a slot 28 1 in the standard, between the arms 29 of a fork which rises from the lower arm 23, and having its outer end forked as at to loosely embrace the staff 10 below an enf forefinger may rest thereon when the operator grasps the knob 21 as indicated in Fig. 2. With this construction, the base 20 may be placed on the paper with its front end against a ruler as indicated at R in Fig. 1, and the operator grasping the knob between his thumb and second finger can move this base along the ruler when he desires to draw a straight line. If he desires to draw a curved line, he may place the edge of the base'against a draftsmans curve or other pattern as seen in Fig. 4. Or if he desires to drawan irregular line without the guidance of any ruler or pattern, he has but to move the base over the paper by hand. To throw the point or points of the pen into contact with the paper, he need but bear down with his forefinger on the finger piece 35; This slides the entire rod 27 through the eyes in the lugs 26 against the force of [the spring 33, and its fork 3O permits the stafi 10. to descend through the eyes 25 in the'head. Ordinarily there will be weight enough in the pen machanism, but it is quite possible thata light spring could be coiled on the staff 10 between the collar 31 and the upper arm 24:, as indicated at 34: in Fig. 1. In either ca'se pressureon the finger piece causes the descent of the fork 30, and when this support for the pen is thus removed the pen descends until it touches the paper. WVhen now the base of the entire support is moved over the paper, the pen will trail after the line followed by its staff, and the pen point or points will make a single or double line on thepaper. Twin pens are obviously quite useful in drawing roadways and canals which sometimes follow irregular courses thatcould be outlined by no form of ruler. But any moment when the user desires to do so, he can remove pressure from the finger piece'35, and the spring 83 will cause the rise of the rod 27 and therefore of the entire pen. When he lifts the pen support from the paper, as for re-inking the pen points or setting aside the entire instrument, removal of his finger from the finger piece 85 permits the automatic rise of the pen within its support so that its point or points are kept clear of the drafting board or paper upon which the instrument may be placed-thus giving the operator complete control over the making of a line. Thus is constructed the mechanical support which I prefer to use in connection with the ruling pen first above described, and a mechanical support of this character possesses the functions and advantages which have been enumerated. It might be possible to rule a line with a pen having an elbow or offset between its shank and its staff, but I prefer that the latter be held loosely or swiveled in its support because it is the purpose of this pen to make use of the tr-ailing action as already described.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a ruling pen, the combination .with a shank having its upper end threaded, and nibs at its lower end; of a stafi, a support in which said staff is rotatably mounted, and a block to one end of which said staflf is secured, the other end of said block having a hole parallel with the length of the staff and threaded to receive said shank, for the purpose set forth.

The herein described pen support co1nprising a rectangular base having a handheld, a standard rising from one end of the base, a head on the standard having holes for movably receiving a pen-stall, and manually controlled means on said support for moving the pen-staff within said holes.

3. The combination with a drafting pen; of the herein described support comprising a rectangular base, a standard rising from one end of the base, a head on the standard having holes for movably receiving the staff of said pen, and manually controlled means on said support for lifting the pen-staff within said holes.

4. The combination with a drafting pen; of the herein described support comprising a base plate, a knob rising therefrom, a standard rising from the plate and having parallel horizontal arms pierced with alined holes for receiving the stafi .of said pen, a pair of lugs on the side .of said standard provided with alined eyes, the standard being slotted above the upper "lug, a rod movably mounted through said eyes with its upper end extending through said slot and its extremity forked-to engage the penstaff, and a finger piece on the lower. end of said, rod adj acent said knob.

5. The combination with a drafting .pen having a round staff, and a collar fast thereon; of a pen support consisting of a base, a standard rising therefrom, armsprojecting horizontally from the standard and having holes loosely receiving said staff above and below its collar, lugs on said standard having eyes, a rod movably mounted through the eye and having its upper end extending between said arms and forked beneath said colla r,'resilient means for raising said rod, and a finger piece at its lower end.

6. The combination with a drafting pen having a round staff, and a collar fast thereon; of a pen support consisting of a base, a standard rising therefrom, arms projecting horizontally from the standard'and having holes loosely receiving said staff above and below its collar, lugs on said standard having eyes, a rod movably mounted through the eyes and having its upper end extending between said arms and forked beneath said collar, a collar fast on the rod between said lugs, an expansive spring coiled on the rod between the collar and lower lug, and a flat finger piece fast on the lower end of the rod above said base, for the purpose set forth.

7. In an instrument of the class described, the combination with a ruling pen comprising a round staff, a shank having nibs at its lower end, and an offset connection between its upper end and the lower end of the staff; of a pen support comprising a base, a standard rising therefrom, and a head projecting from the standard and having hearings in which said staff is mounted for rotation and vertical movement.

8. In an instrument of the class described,

the combination with a ruling pen comprising a round stafi, a shank having nibs at its lower end, and an offset connection between its upper end and the lower end of the staff; of a pen support comprising a base, a standard rising therefrom, a head projecting from the standard and in which said stafi is mounted for rotation and vertical movement, and means for manually controlling the vertical movement of the pen-staff within said head, for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination with a drafting pen having a round staff, and acollan fast thereon; of'a pen support consisting of a base, a standard rising therefrom, arms projecting horizontally from the standard and having holes loosely receiving said staff above and below its collar, a rod movably guided along the standard and having its upper end extending between said arms and beneath said collar, resilient means for raising said rod, and a finger piece at its lower end.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS E. PADDACK.

Witnesses WV. P. CAMERON, L. M. MCCORMICK.

Wopiles of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner or Patents, Washington, D. G. 

